A Concerto for an Empty Frame is a mesmerizing collection of poetry that explores loss, grief, and survival through an intricately structured lyrical journey. Where did the idea for this collection come from?

Music has always been an integral part of my life and seems to touch every aspect. Most of my life has been spent performing and teaching in this medium, and so it seemed a natural transition to express parts of my life’s journey in a musical form. The more I explored the symphonic and concerto forms, the more the metaphor of the musical form seemed to fit my journey. The three movements of a concerto with their attendant stylistic and tempo constraints easily fit into the three aspects of loss, grief, and survival allowing me to finish with a glorious cadenza that expresses freedom and joy. Music and poetry seemed to fit together naturally in its form and content. It felt like fitting two languages together – translating emotion into music.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The more I explored the qualities of music, the more I saw similarities with poetics: dynamics, cadences, recurring motifs, tempi, mode, duet and ensemble, cadenza, and language.

What was the most challenging part of writing this collection of poetry and what was the most rewarding?

I was challenged first by translating what I knew about music (form, music analysis, musical terms, etc.) into what I knew about poetry (metaphor, assonance, stanza, line break, etc.). When the pieces began to fall into place, I was exhilarated by the freedom I was able to attain in the form and content of my writing.

What advice do you have for aspiring poets?

Decide what you want to do and do it with passion. Without passion, you have no fire. Like a musician, practice, practice, practice, and write for the love of it.

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